MANILA — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has assured rice farmers that planting during the upcoming wet season will remain profitable despite the threat of a strong El Niño and increasing production costs driven by higher fertilizer and fuel prices.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed the agency to protect farmers from financial losses and help ensure they earn adequately from their harvests.

“The President’s directive is to make sure our farmers earn properly and do not lose money in the next harvest season despite higher fertilizer prices,” Tiu Laurel said during a visit to Nueva Ecija.

As part of efforts to encourage farmers to continue planting, the National Food Authority (NFA) plans to announce its buying prices for palay ahead of the harvest season. The move aims to give farmers a clearer picture of potential earnings while setting a market benchmark.

“Even before harvest starts nationwide, the NFA will already set a buying price of P22 per kilo for wet palay and P27 per kilo for dry palay,” Tiu Laurel said. “The goal is to set a benchmark for the industry and help ensure that farmers can earn a reasonable profit.”

NFA Administrator Larry Lacson said the agency intends to take a more proactive approach during the next harvest season.

“Unlike during the dry season when we came in later mainly to match prices already being offered by private traders, we will be more aggressive this coming season. We will be buying early and at higher prices,” Lacson said.

For the dry season harvest that is nearing completion, the NFA purchased dry palay at prices ranging from P25 to P30 per kilogram.

Lacson also said the agency is milling a substantial portion of its buffer stocks to make room in warehouses for incoming harvests while supporting the government’s expanded Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! program.

The DA is preparing NFA storage facilities ahead of the September harvest by reducing existing inventories and transferring stocks to create additional warehouse capacity.

“We are clearing warehouse space so the NFA will be ready to accept more palay from farmers once harvest season begins,” Tiu Laurel said.

The agriculture chief also said the government would continue assisting farmers as they face climate-related challenges, higher production expenses and uncertainties in the market.